I can't take my eyes off you
by Sketchy Tone
Summary: Sequel to "in little time". Ai made an outrageous claim about KID, and Conan is gonna prove that she was wrong by taking KID down. Except... Eventual KID x Conan. -COMPLETED March 14, 2013-
1. Bet

**Disclaimer:** Detective Conan & Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho.

**Ship:** Eventual Kaitou KID (Kuroba Kaito) x Edogawa Conan (Kudou Shinichi)

**Words: **1015

**A/N:** A sequel to my last fic _in little time_ ( s/8848126/1/). I strongly recommend you read that first because this fic refers back to it quite a bit.

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**I can't take...**

**Chapter 1: Bet**

Edogawa Conan winced. This was perhaps the most disapproving look he had seen on Haibara Ai's face, he mused. After he told her about what happened during the day and why he'd ended up at Agasa-hakase's place, he had been on the receiving end of the shrunken-scientist's creepy eye laser. He'd block it with the scarf he got from KID, but he had no doubt that her proverbial eye laser would burn right through it. While he agreed that hanging out with Kaitou KID alone like that was probably not the brightest thing to do, it's not like he had a choice since he was literally kidnapped by the thief and was completely disarmed. Oh man, now the girl let out probably one of the most exasperated sigh he had ever seen from her. Why was she rolling her eyes at him like that? He wasn't hurt after all so everything was fine, right? There was no reason for her to be mad.

"Like I said, I had no idea why he'd kidnap me out of the blue like that. Stop glaring at me."

Uh-oh, her eyebrows started to twitch. It seemed his attempt to diffuse her anger had failed. This wasn't looking good. Maybe he should take shelter somewhere now before he sustains any physical or psychological damage. That glare from her oddly made him feel like he was being taken apart under a microscope.

"Kudou-kun, you're hopelessly oblivious." Ai let out another long suffering sigh, but this time, accompanied with a face-palm.

"…why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ai faced Conan again, equipped with a smug expression that read she was going to drop the bomb the next second. "He likes you."

"…who?"

"Kaitou KID, duh."

Conan felt like his brain just froze from being unable to process that information. Did she just say that Kaitou KID _liked_ him? Perhaps his ears had malfunctioned from staying in the cold for too long today. This probably required a soft reboot of his brain, and oh, he might as well ask her to clarify. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat… and maybe elaborate if you don't mind?"

"This isn't rocket science, detective," Ai spoke as she picked up KID's red rose and shoved said rose right at Conan's face. "He dragged you out for a date, insisted on taking photos together, maintained contact by holding your hand or carrying you around, gave you a red rose before he left…" Using her free hand, Ai grabbed the scarf from the couch, where Conan had deposited upon entering indoor. "If I remember correctly, KID's monocle had a four-leaf clover pattern on it. This scarf, bearing a resembling pattern, could imply that he wanted to be possessive of you. After all, its flower language is 'be mine.' And of course, the red rose was also a dead giveaway."

Conan blinked again as he continued to stare at Ai as if a mushroom just grew out of her head, while trying to fix his jaw that dislocated itself from the shock delivered by Ai's 'elaboration.' He totally wasn't expecting the child-sized scientist to make such an absurd and insane claim. "…that couldn't be possible."

"Why not?"

Conan deadpanned. "This is KID we're talking about. Someone who flirts with every other woman he meets. In case you've forgotten, I'm a guy."

"So? He could be bisexual. Or perhaps it was a gesture to hide his true sexual orientation."

"Can we stop analyzing KID already? This is getting more and more bizarre by the second. It's just KID being KID."

"Well then, give me a more plausible reason that could explain why KID chose to spend time with _you_ instead of his loved ones before the so-called Mayan apocalypse. From what you said, it sounded like he believed in that prophecy. I'd want to spend time with people I care about as well if the world was going to end." Crossing her arm, Ai continued to hold an expression that says she won't be convinced otherwise unless he produces a more conceivable rationale.

"Honestly, this–" Before Conan could retort, he was interrupted by the breaking news shown on the TV screen. As if it was perfectly timed, the screen displayed huge texts that read 'Kaitou KID's next heist announcement,' completed with KID's trademark doodle on the side. The two not-children both put their heated debate on hold as they concentrated on the heist details recited by the reporter.

"Ooh, he wanted you guys' next date on New Year's Eve night. How romantic. Suzuki-san is gonna be so jealous," commented Ai in an amused tone that sent chills down his spine. "How about a bet, Kudou-kun?"

"…what bet?" Conan sighed as he averted his eyes from that sinister expression on Ai's face. Why did he dig his own grave when Ai questioned him about the scarf? He should've said that he bought it. Though it seemed the girl had the ability to tell whenever he was lying. And why did he feel compelled to keep that stupid rose when he could've just thrown it away?

"Let's go to that heist together to check KID out. If I was right about that he likes you, you buy me one of Fusae Campbell's latest accessories. If I was wrong, I'll grant one request from you. Deal?"

Conan flinched when Ai mentioned the 'like' word again. She was really starting to drive him nuts and it was obvious that she was enjoying it. "Fine, if you were wrong, I'm totally sending you to a shrink. You sounded like you needed it."

"Why thank you. That's very thoughtful of you," smirking with beaming confidence, Ai handed the remote control to Conan before making her way to her lab. "You might want to review the news to see if you could decipher anything else from it. I'm gonna browse the shopping catalogue."

After sticking his tongue out at the parting girl's back, Conan focused on the news report with renewed determination. KID will definitely pay for all the pain and suffering he went through today!

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed my other stories, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

Sorry about the short chapter. The plot might not be very coherent so please bear with me XD;

Title adapted from _GARNET CROW_'s _I can't take…_ It's catchy and gets stuck in my head often. You'll see why I chose this title later. =3

PS. Stupid ff dot net removed the ellipsis from the title... -,_-+  
PS2. Oh I got some Conan doujinshis for sale =w= please check out my profile page for link, thanks~


	2. Bridge

**Words: **919

**A/N:** AiConan implications warning. I suck at writing KID's heist notes. *fails*

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**I can't take…**

**Chapter 2: Bridge**

Haibara Ai continued to study the subject of her current observation – Edogawa Conan aka Kudou Shinichi. In Agasa-hakase's living room, the child-sized detective continued to re-watch the KID heist news report and reread his notes over and over and over. Honestly, Ai thought there was nothing out of the ordinary in KID's message. It was so straightforward that it didn't even qualify to be a riddle. How _oblivious_ can the idiot get, especially when she already told him in his face that KID liked him?! She almost felt bad for KID there.

"Before the New Year fire blossoms in darkness, I shall gain possession of your heart at Haido City Hotel…"

Ai twitched again (sincerely hoping that she wouldn't get wrinkles from excessive twitching) as Conan recited the unsubtle heist note for the _millionth_ time. Her initial amusement over this revelation was already long gone. For the past few days, it had become the boy's routine to come after school and work on the note, as he didn't want to be seen with it at the Mouri Detective Agency. The Mouri family had been invited to their family friend's place for the New Year break, so he simply excused himself from it and told Mouri Ran that he'll be staying with Agasa-hakase.

Now that she pondered over it, it was clear that Conan treated KID differently from other criminals. The phantom thief was indeed rather unique, because he was kind-hearted and ethical about not seriously harming anybody despite being an outlaw. On top of that, he had saved them a few times. The detective always sounded so excited whenever he chatted about KID's heists with her. It's not every day that you'd find somebody like that, after all. The more she watched the detective though, the more she wondered if the detective was simply in denial rather than being totally oblivious. Perhaps it was his way of coping with this newfound information about a rival, who he held a healthy amount of respect towards.

There was no doubt that he trusted the thief to a certain degree, because otherwise he wouldn't have sought KID to save her. It was absolutely illogical to involve a completely unrelated stranger into the affairs with the Black Organization. In her panicked state back then, she really felt he should've simply let Bourbon and Vermouth kill her. She hated to be his burden all the time and she didn't want the people she cared about to be in danger because of her. Yet another part of her was truly grateful that the detective managed to outsmart the BO and refused to abandon her despite the circumstances. It was heartwarming to know that there was someone willing to save her at all cost.

Thinking back, the shrunken detective had mentioned that his first encounter with the phantom thief was on the rooftop of Haido City Hotel. She thought KID had chosen a rather fitting place to voice his confession. To her, it was also a special place. It was the place where she turned back into Miyano Shiho for the first time. It was the place where she was nearly caught and killed by Gin. It was the place where the detective had saved her from death.

And it was the place where she had fallen for somebody for the first time in her life.

She remembered all the subtle attempts she had made over the past few months to hint to the detective that she liked him. It was funny how oblivious the detective was, and it was also a little depressing how he had disregarded all of it. Even during that time when his mom told him her suspicions, he still didn't catch on with it. Though that probably meant the detective truly had no romantic interest in her. At times, she questioned herself about why she was still being persistent about him rather than giving up.

"Haibara?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by Conan's inquiring expression. It seemed the detective had finally turned the TV off and put his notes away for the day. "Yes, Kudou-kun?"

"Are you okay? You had been dazing off for a while."

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just trying to figure out how KID plans on stealing your _heart_," smirked Ai as Conan growled at her. He's just way too fun to tease at times, she mused. "Wait, Kudou-kun."

"What?" Conan stopped as he was about to go to the kitchen for more coffee.

"What would you do if KID was serious about it?" She'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

"It was just one of his tricks."

"What if it wasn't?"

It took Conan a brief moment to pause before he spoke again. "…I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

Ai blinked in surprise as she caught a glimpse of slight blush on the boy's cheeks before he walked away with his coffee mug. She couldn't help but feel a bit _envious_ at the phantom thief. It appeared his feelings were going to be acknowledged. The detective wasn't as dense as she thought, after all. He must have figured out something when he allegorically buried himself under the TV and his notes.

Perhaps the time for her to take her eyes off him had finally arrived. Oh well, at least she'll get a fancy necklace out of it.

Or maybe she could do something to throw KID off at the heist just for the heck of it. It sounded like a _fabulous_ idea.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed this story, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

Kaito will be in next chapter, I promise! And hopefully it'd be much more cheerful. XD;; I originally wasn't planning to spend one whole chapter on Ai since this is a KIDco/KaiShin fic, but I felt I needed more details for a smoother transition, so, yeah. ^^; And well, Ai was my favourite DC character for the past 10 _years_, after all. =P


	3. Backfired

**Words: **1202

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******I can't take…**

**Chapter 3: Backfired**

Kuroba Kaito smiled in satisfaction as he read the newspaper article on Kaitou KID's next heist. He had already come up with a dozen plans plus two dozen back-up plans to capture Tantei-kun's full attention, and this time he definitely _will_ steal a kiss from the detective's lips! Now that the world wasn't gonna end, he had got all the time in the world to spend with the detective and to make him his and only his. Everything simply sounded absolutely wonderful! What else could possibly go wrong?

"BAKAITO!" Before he could react, a mop had come into direct contact with the back of his head, creating giant red bump where it hit.

"Ow! Ahoko! What did you hit my head for?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter or something. You're drooling _all _over your desk. The whole class is gonna _drown _in your drool if you don't close your mouth now!" Yelled Nakamori Aoko angrily as she poked Kaito's head with the stick end of her mop.

"Oi! Stop prodding me! I can't close my mouth if I had to keep screaming in pain, Ahoko!" Judging from the fume steaming out of her head, Kaito had a funny feeling that if he found a scouter and assessed her power level right now, it'd be over 9000.

"Kuroba-kun," surprised by the intrusion, the bantering pair turned and found one Koizumi Akako standing right behind them, with her lips quirked in amusement. "I recommend that you don't get too excited over whatever that was on your mind. It might backfire on you."

"What do you mean, Akako-chan?" Aoko inquired in confusion.

"That's for Kuroba-kun to figure out for himself." Before Kaito could ask Akako to elaborate, they were interrupted by the school bell, signaling the end of their lunch break.

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The last day of the year had arrived before Kaito had a chance to figure out what the witch really meant. Every time he tried to ask the witch, she'd simply smile in a spine-chilling manner that suggested pestering her for an explanation would be a horrible idea. Oh well, he'll just have to improvise shall anything eventful comes up during the heist. For all he knew, the creepy witch could have said that simply to screw around with his head.

Upon arriving at Haido City Hotel's ballroom however, he wondered if Lady Luck had disowned him.

Glaring at the blonde bastard standing next to Nakamori Ginzo, he wondered if this was what Akako was referring to – that Hakuba Saguru would take part in this heist. He totally didn't need to get into an irritated mood when he should be getting prepared to steal Tantei-kun's heart! Why did he forget to check if that Hakuba bastard was gonna be back from England for his heist? He made a mental note to dye the annoying blonde's hair colour into rainbow later on whenever opportunity comes up.

Kaito winced and covered his ears as Nakamori-keibu's roar projected throughout the ballroom, where the suspected heist target was located. The suspected heist target was moderate sized angel statue with a halo made of crystal and an oval-shaped necklace made of low-grade sapphire. It wasn't something on Kaito's mental list of Pandora-worthy jewels, and the statue itself had no historic or mythological value whatsoever (especially when said angel was modeled after an_ anime _character the owner liked). Apparently the inspector did not appreciate Hakuba's suggestion regarding how the statue was unlikely to be KID's target due to its lack of resemblance to a heart and its lack of classiness. Oh well, he supposed he could just steal it to fulfill Nakamori-keibu's expectations (and to thank him for his effort) and to tick off the blonde bastard for the heck of it.

Turning his attention away from the inspector and the British detective, Kaito continued his search for the familiar cowlick. He stopped stalk–, uh, checking on Tantei-kun over the past few days because he was having a hard time keeping his blush down whenever he was within Tantei-kun's proximity. Judging from how things went during the last _date_ however, he was pretty sure that Tantei-kun would show up. Whether or not the dense detective actually understood his intention behind the heist note though is a completely different story. Well, no matter, he's still gonna steal a kiss from him tonight. If Tantei-kun really didn't figure out what he meant then the boy would be in for a big surprise~!

"WHO THE HELL LET THESE BRATS IN?"

He perked up immediately at the _announcement_ made by Nakamori-keibu. How could he have missed Tantei-kun's entrance? Wait– did the inspector said _brats_ with the s, as in plural form? Kaito tried to squeeze between the other attendees to get a clearer view (after all short people are harder to spot). He was surprised to find cherry brown hair right next to the familiar cowlick, but fortunately it seemed the rest of the Shounen Tanteidan didn't tag along. Few feet away from the two children, the chubby inventor was chatting with Suzuki Jirokichi and his niece Suzuki Sonoko, who were invited as one of the VIPs for the event. That's probably why Nakamori-keibu had to let the kids off the hook, he mused.

Come to think of it, that cherry brown haired girl sort of resembled the lady that Tantei-kun had him impersonate back on Bell Tree Express. Seeing how Kudou Shinichi and Edogawa Conan was the same person, could that girl also be in the same shoes…? That'd explain why he always felt that girl was different from other children. Was there any reason why they were both like that? Deciding to let the rather awkward implications drop for the moment (he didn't want to know if there were other fake-children out there), Kaito checked his watch. 30 minutes before 2013. This should leave him enough time to lure Tantei-kun to the rooftop and drive the police force (blonde bastard included) away.

At the snap of his fingers, the whole ballroom was engulfed by darkness. While the attendees became restless from anxiety and excitement, Kaito slipped off his waiter disguise and positioned himself right next to the statue. When light shined through the room again, everyone's attention had been caught by the now white-clad phantom thief. As anticipated, he was immediately surrounded by the task force and Hakuba. Poker face in place, Kaito flashed his trademark KID grin. _It's show time!_

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome! Thank you for coming to my show on such a meaningful night," ignoring the scowl from Nakamori-keibu and the eager cheer from a certain blonde female attendee, Kaito turned his gaze towards the mini-detective. What would Tantei-kun do now? To his surprise, the cherry brown haired girl had entwined her hand around one of Tantei-kun's in a possessive manner. Her quirked smile and confident expression implied that she knew exactly what he was up to, and she wouldn't let him get away with his true target of the night.

…Right, that's probably why Tantei-kun asked him to save the girl back on the train. He already had a special someone who he cared deeply about.

Stunned, Kaito was torn between feeling jealous and disappointed.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! ^o^

Sorry about the _Dragon Ball_ reference. I know it's old and completely random *shrugs*

I think this chapter didn't flow as well as the previous chapters, but I hope you still liked it. =3 I love evil Ai-sama~ *rolls away in the speed of light*


	4. Baffled

**Words: **1412

**A/N:** This is the first time I've written close to 5000 words in less than 10 days! Here comes the chapter you've all been waiting for! (sort of)

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**I can't take…**

**Chapter 4: Baffled**

Over the past week or so, Edogawa Conan had been considering the truth and possibility to Haibara Ai's suggestion. He had replayed the events from the day he was "kidnapped" by Kaitou KID in his head in an attempt to analyze KID's actions and to come up with alternate plausible explanations. He hated to admit it, but the 'It's just KID being KID' rationale really didn't quite cut it – like Ai said, if KID really did believe in that prophecy, then it'd have made his actions a lot more sensible.

Now the main question was, as Ai asked, what if KID was serious about uh, stealing his heart? At first he did consider such suggestion to be bizarre and outrageous, but after giving it some thought and reviewing his feelings regarding the whole incident, he found that it's not entirely unacceptable. He knew he had fun and enjoyed the day out, and he actually _looked forward _to the thief's next heist even before the talk with Ai. He'd never admit that in front of the creepy scientist, though.

Another thing he knew for sure – if it was Hattori Heiji who did the exact same things as KID, he'd be outright weirded out and would've either ran far, far away or sent his Osakan friend to a shrink.

Anyhow, he still felt rather baffled about this whole mess, so hopefully it'd get sorted out tonight. If KID was merely playing a trick with his mind, he'll definitely deliver him directly to Nakamori-keibu with his soccer ball.

As Conan's eyes readjusted to the light that's once again illuminating the ballroom, he focused his attention on the white-clad phantom thief, who was standing right next to the suspected heist target and making his usual flashy introduction. Conan was suddenly distracted by Ai, who currently wrapped her fingers around his. That evil smirk and half-lidded eyes on her face seemed to be saying something scary. "…Why did you grab my hand?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm simply collecting data to validate my hypothesis."

"What hypothe– never mind, I don't want to know."

"That's a wise decision."

Conan let out an exasperated sigh as he turned his attention back to KID. As much as he valued Ai as a friend and an ally, sometimes he'd rather be jabbed by Mouri Kogorou than to deal with her. To his surprise, KID just stood there and apparently _froze_ while staring at him, instead of making a move to grab the suspected heist target or even to dodge Hakuba Saguru, who was pouncing right from his back.

It seemed the British detective was just as shocked that he actually caught KID as KID was shocked that he was being grabbed. Conan could see a panicked expression briefly cracked through KID's poker face before pink smoke surrounded the area. After the smoke cleared, the blonde detective was knocked out cold on the ground with his hair dyed to shades of rainbow. The crystal halo and the sapphire necklace were both missing from the angel statue, with the phantom thief nowhere to be seen – unless you counted the dummy that's currently flying away from the hotel. Conan and Ai covered their ears as Nakamori-keibu's agitated yell and KID fans' excited cheer echoed through the ballroom. Just as expected, the entire task force immediately chased after said dummy. Will they ever learn? Conan wondered.

"Well then Kudou-kun, shall we go after KID to determine the winner of our bet?" Ai raised an eyebrow in amusement while holding her hand out in an inviting manner.

"Of course. Let's check the rooftop."

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Kaito stopped at the rooftop to catch his breaths while clutching onto the loot he took from the ballroom. He was glad that despite the mental turmoil, he still managed to knock the annoying blonde out and to activate the dummy. Running on auto pilot, his hands brought the jewels up as he inspected them with the moonlight. Nope, not Pandora. Not that he was expecting them to be anyway. Ah well, old habits die hard.

The heist didn't go as planned at all – it was overall an extremely poor performance. He hoped his audience weren't as disappointed as he was. After witnessing _that_, his instinct had been in a fleeing mode. Tantei-kun already had a _girl_friend… why didn't he realize that before? It seemed Lady Luck really hated him lately… if he never dragged the detective out that day, he wouldn't have realized that he liked the detective and he wouldn't be feeling so heartbroken right now. He didn't even need to check with a mirror to know that his poker face was already a lost cause.

He quickly turned around and braced himself as he heard a couple of running footsteps approaching. Right, of course Tantei-kun wouldn't be tricked by that dummy. He totally didn't want to see the detective with his _girl_friend right now… it's a painful reminder that the possibility of the detective accepting someone of the same gender would probably be close to null.

"KID!" The boy detective yelled as he rushed in and gasped for air, while still holding onto his girlfriend's hand. It made Kaito incredibly_ jealous_ but what could he do about it?

"Good evening, Meitantei," said Kaito as he took a deep breath to recollect himself. No matter what, he was still Kaitou KID and he couldn't let something like this throw him off completely. "I believe you're looking for these?" Ensuring that he had both of their attention, he tossed the crystal halo to the cherry brown haired girl and the sapphire to the detective, who promptly caught them.

Both children blinked at the jewels as if they were surprised by his gesture. They probably didn't expect him to return the jewels without resisting. "Yes, the jewels, and I wanted to ask you something."

"You may ask but I might not answer."

The not-child deadpanned but chose not to comment on the sarcastic remark. "Well…" He coughed briefly as if to clear his throat before looking straight into the magician's eyes. "Was I your heist target? Did you intend to steal my heart?"

Kaito could feel his face immediately_ flushed_ at the direct questions. He totally didn't expect that – and he could tell from the way the girl face-palmed and jabbed the detective's side with her elbow, that she was perturbed by the boy's bluntness as well.

"Ow! What's wrong with you?" The boy rubbed his side as he rolled his eyes at his assailant, who responded with the same eye roll plus a snort.

"You're the one with issues here."

The magician thief watched the pair in front of him bicker over the appropriateness of the questions, and internally let out a defeated sigh. These two did make quite the couple. Perhaps he should really give up before he falls further… or else the crash would be even more excruciating. He cleared his throat briefly to regain the pair's attention. His face still felt heated up, but he really wanted to just get this over with and go home.

"Yes and yes, but…" But he really didn't need a _rejection_ to be voiced right at his face. Trying his best not to let his wistfulness show, he bowed gracefully in front of the pair, indicating his departure. "Farewell, Meitantei. I wish you the best of luck. Please be careful and be safe."

"Eh?"

Within seconds, the entire rooftop was engulfed by blue smoke. The phantom thief took his opportunity to grab the detective and pressed their lips together. The boy in his arm stiffened at the sudden contact just as the New Year fireworks could be heard sparking through the night sky. The coincidental timing was astounding. It's a shame they couldn't stay like this forever.

Letting go of the detective before he could react and retaliate, Kaito set off his hang glider and allowed the night wind carry him away as the smoke cleared. It was regrettable that he failed to leave with his _true_ target tonight, but at least he stole a farewell kiss from the detective to partially compensate for his loss. It was the first time he had fallen this hard for anybody… it'd probably take a long while for him to recover and to completely take his eyes off him.

If the magician had looked back at this moment though, he would've seen the most _beautiful_ shade of red that had ever crept onto the detective's cheeks.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/

Wee! We're finally half way through this portion of the story! I rushed through this, so please point out any errors/typos you found! This _is_ a **KIDco** fic even though I ended up writing more AiConan than intended. Sorry about turning Kaito into an emo wimp orz =q=;;

Moral of the story: Don't make assumptions! Just because someone's holding hands doesn't mean they're dating! *gets shot by KID's card gun *

There won't be any update for the next two weeks or so, because I got an extremely important credential exam coming up. So yeah, sorry about halting the story here but it's time to stu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-udy! *hides*

PS. Anyone noticed a trend with the chapter titles?


	5. Bizarre

**Words: **1289

**A/N:** The lack of ellipsis '…' is really starting to bug me, so I've changed the displayed title to _I can't take my eyes off you_ – which is what the ellipsis was supposed to imply anyway.

* * *

**I can't take…**

**Chapter 5: Bizarre**

_*CLANK*_

Haibara Ai winced in exasperation as Edogawa Conan nursed the bruise that resurfaced on his forehead as a result of walking right into a light pole. He had bumped into various stationary objects, including but not limited to walls, doors, parked cars, street signs, and trees, for the _billionth_ times this year. Ever since that _incident_ on New Year's Eve (it was easy to guess the gist of what happened despite Conan's incoherent explanation – that _blush_ on his face and the way he covered his mouth made it deadly _obvious_), the shrunken detective had been acting out of whack.

The Shounen Tanteidan, who were currently hovering around the injured boy, had sensed that there was something bothering the brain of their team. Conan had been trying to convince them that he was fine and that they need not to worry about him, but of course the children weren't buying it. Ai thought it's really saying something when he couldn't even hide his distractedness from a bunch of grade-schoolers.

She still remembered the talk she had with Conan two weeks ago. That day, she had finished organizing her mini evidence-based paper (complete with introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion) and she was gonna use it to tease the shrunken detective. To her surprise, even before she had said a word, she was presented with a silver ginkgo necklace that looked suspiciously like the one she had circled on her shopping catalogue. She blinked in confusion at the bespectacled boy who was holding said necklace in front of her.

"This is the one you wanted, right?" Conan held the necklace further towards her, gesturing for her to take it.

"Yeah… but why?"

"You won the bet, that's why."

Apparently the oblivious detective eventually realized that her actions that night were meant to taunt the white-clad thief. Conan figured that KID likely left without the 'heist target' because said taunt was effective, and for it to be effective, it would mean the phantom thief had to be–

After handing Ai the necklace and explaining his deduction, Conan proceeded to sulk in Agasa-hakase's living room, one of his 'favourite' places to spend time brooding over the issue with KID over the past couple of weeks. If Ai had to hazard a guess, she'd say the detective was disappointed by the outcome of the heist. The way he's acting right now reminded her of how he acted when his favourite soccer team lost a game, except ten times gloomier. And really, despite Conan never admitted it out loud, if he didn't at least had some sort of return feelings towards KID, she was certain that he'd be screaming bloody murder already; after all, he was forced into a _kiss_. Looking at the moping detective (who was attempting to occupy himself with a mystery novel), Ai realized that…

There really isn't a point in fighting this lost battle anymore.

Since the only way for them to hunt KID down would be at a heist, it's too bad that there isn't much they could do right now other than to wait for the next heist announcement. For the sake of all the surrounding objects (that Conan had _damaged_ by accident) and Conan's forehead (that bruise is gonna be _permanent_ if he kept hitting it), Ai was determined figure out a way to get the detective out of his proverbial closet, and to get the usual beaming confidence and smile back on his face.

After all, that's what she liked about him the most. Just because she was letting go doesn't mean she didn't want him to be happy.

* * *

Hakuba Saguru looked at the notes he jotted over the past month in dismay. No matter how he looked at it, the class prankster, aka Kuroba Kaito, was acting _strange_ ever since the beginning of the year. Scratch that, he was acting strange even back in that heist on New Year's Eve. Normally speaking (as _normal_ as it can be, anyway), whenever KID managed to embarrass him, the phantom thief always made sure he was aware of it right away so that he'd rage over it while the magician pointed and laughed before bouncing away. Yet during that heist, the thief knocked him out right after dyeing his hair, and according to the task force, KID left with the heist targets immediately without thanking the KID fans with the some sort of showy tricks. Of course, he didn't forget how shocked KID looked when he grabbed him – heck, he was surprised himself that he actually managed to catch hold of the slippery thief.

He had been discussing his observation of Kuroba Kaito with Nakamori Aoko, who thought that her childhood friend had been acting bizarre as well. The messy haired teen was… exceptionally focused on his school work. He had been the top of the class already, so neither of them could see any reason why the magician would suddenly grow the desire to study harder. Not only that, Kaito had stopped pulling pranks or magic tricks in class altogether, and the magician didn't _harass_ (Aoko's words, not his) Aoko at all. It was as if he was preoccupied with something that took up the majority of his mind, and for the magician to be absorbed by it for so long, it must be something rather serious. (The teachers, on the other hand, were thankful that they weren't on the receiving end of endless pranks anymore.)

Nakamori Aoko had been trying to get Kaito to tell her whatever it was that was troubling him, but the magician had been defensive and was unwilling to share it with her. She knew it had something to do with the New Year's Eve… before that day, Kaito was acting overly cheerful and excited over something, and after then he had completely changed into someone else. If she believed in UFO, she would've suspected that he was abducted and brainwashed by aliens. Aoko felt oddly like being left out by fact that Kaito didn't trust her enough to share his issues with her, but as his best friend, she decided not to push him too far. The last thing she wanted was for him to avoid her completely – at least he still walked her to and from school every day and would chat-chit with her about everything else. Though she did had this awkward gut feeling telling her that something had changed about him permanently, and he wasn't the same Kaito she had grown up to know anymore.

Today, everything was pieced together and it all made sense to Aoko now. Kaito didn't run around school chasing after female classmates for chocolates. He also didn't accept any chocolate that was presented to him, even if they were just Giri-choco*. (She certainly was surprised by the few girls who tried to give Kaito Honmei-choco* and kinda felt bad for them when they were turned down.) So, there is someone who Kaito liked… no wonder he had been acting different lately. WAIT– does it mean he was turned down by whoever it was? Was that the reason behind the prankster's bizarre and downcast behaviour?

Before Kaito could retort, Aoko had tugged one of his ears and dragged him right out of the classroom once the last class of the day was over. She swore she'll get to the bottom of this and hook Kaito up with this mysterious person, because whoever she was, she must've meant a lot to the teen magician for him to be acting totally off balance. A small part of her mind argued that it was really because she was starting to get into some sort of withdrawal due to lack of the magician's usual pranks and magic tricks.

_TBC._

*Giri-chocos = Obligation chocolate. Given by female to their co-workers/acquaintances/friends etc on Valentine's Days.

*Honmei-chocos = True-feeling chocolate. Female gives honmei-choco to the person they have romantic feelings for.

* * *

**Afterword: ** Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/

This story is starting to look more and more like a shoujo story. *face palm* Am I going too slow with this story? This chapter kinda felt like a filler…


	6. Betroth

**Words: **968

**A/N:** Brief mentions of Saguru x Aoko warning.

* * *

**I can't take…**

**Chapter 6: Betroth**

Aoko is _evil_.

That was the only thought on Kuroba Kaito's mind when he got cornered by Nakamori Aoko, who was wielding a huge _f-f-f-thing_ like a sword around his face. Apparently she had figured out that he liked somebody and wanted details. Stupid Ahoko, she had absolutely no respect for his personal space and privacy… (speaks the person who flipped her skirt on a _regular_ basis.)

After the dreadful interrogation involving intimate interactions with the _f-f-f-f-f-f-thing_ (he swore he'll clean his head with hydrogen peroxide later), Kaito finally managed to knock _it_ off Aoko's hands and into the paws of a coincidentally passerby cat, which instantly took off with its prize_. _(Kaito made a mental note to personally thank it later.) Regrettably, Aoko already managed to obtain more info than Kaito would've liked – such as that person was a _guy_ who already had a girlfriend, and Kaito fled after making his confession. At least Aoko didn't find out who it was or how he actually made the confession… Kaito had a feeling that Aoko would immediately procure a mop out of thin air to smack his head if she knew he had kissed someone with a _kid's_ appearance. It'd be too complicated to explain how a seven-year-old would actually be _48 days_ _older_ than him without compromising their identity.

Before he even realized it, he was now in Shibuya's shopping district with Aoko. The area was filled with couples, flowers, chocolates and Valentine-theme sales. Aoko grabbed his hand and dragged him through various merchants while he frowned in confusion.

Sensing Kaito's uneasiness, Aoko stopped in front of a small gift shop and faced Kaito with a thoughtful smile. "Think of it this way, Kaito. It's not like he is married, so you still have an equal chance to fight and win him over, right?"

Kaito blinked in uncertainty. Did he interpret what she said correctly? Did Aoko just suggest that he should _continue_ his pursuit towards Tantei-kun? Not that she knew who 'he' was, but still…

Aoko laughed as Kaito held the deer-in-headlights expression on his face. "Really, Kaito. From how you've been acting the past few weeks, I bet if he was even remotely _possible_ to let go, you'd have done so already. You were acting so bizarre and out of character that it wasn't even funny. I couldn't stand to see you like this, Kaito… you're my best friend after all. And I want you to be happy no matter what you chose to do. The Kaito I know isn't someone who'd give up easily."

Kaito let out a deep breath that he was subconsciously holding as he acknowledged the genuine and reassuring smile on Aoko's face. He didn't realize that he was guilty of worrying his best friend to this degree, and he was indefinitely grateful that he had such a compassionate friend who'd be willing to support him through this bumpy ride. She was right; if he could truly take his eyes and mind off Tantei-kun, he'd have done so already. Over the past few weeks, no matter what he did to distract himself, his thought processes kept on redirecting its focus to that bespectacled detective with the sapphire blue eyes. He had _no doubt_ that he wanted to make him _his_ and _only his_ back then, so why was he hesitating now?

Moreover, he wasn't just _Kuroba Kaito_, he was also the infamous _KID the Phantom Thief_ and there's nothing in this world that he couldn't steal. Just because that cherry brown haired girl currently held Tantei-kun's attention doesn't mean he couldn't steal the spotlight from her, right?

No matter how long it'd take, since he'd already had his eyes on him, he would definitely claim him and label him as proud property of Kuroba Kaito, and protect him from anyone that wanted to hurt him or take him away.

The messy haired girl yelped as she was pulled into a hug by the teen magician in front of her. "Thanks Aoko. I appreciate the thought. I'm gonna give it another try."

"That's my Kaito!" Aoko smiled in an encouraging manner and returned the hug before pulling away. "Why don't we shop around and find something for that special someone? It's Valentine's Day after all. Stupid Saguru just had to go to the police station to decipher KID's heist note instead of spending it with me, and KID just had to have a stupid heist tonight–"

"Oh, so I'm a replacement?" Teased Kaito as Aoko's face flushed up like a tomato.

"No! I mean, I _was_ worried about you and well…" Aoko paused midway before entering the store in front of her, suddenly in deep thought.

"Something's wrong?" Asked Kaito as he noticed that Aoko was starting to fidget.

"Kaito, that person… isn't Saguru, right? You did mention that he's a Holmes fan…" Her voice trailed off and was barely audible near the end but Kaito caught every word of it. It totally sent chills down his spine.

"HELL _NO_! I'd rather betroth one of those _finny things_." If there was a table right next to him he'd have flipped it at her for making such an irrational assumption.

The messy haired girl sighed in relief. "Oh come on, Saguru isn't that bad. I don't get why you two just can't get along."

Kaito tuned Aoko out as she continued to babble about that jerk, and started browsing through the various merchandises around him to pick out the best gift for Tantei-kun. Hopefully he'd show up at the heist tonight… With that thought in mind, Kaito began to plot for ways to steal the detective's heart from the girl.

Unbeknownst to Kaito, a pair of bespectacled eyes had caught his banter with Aoko and its owner had left without being spotted.

_TBC._

* * *

**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/

It was getting hard to find a suiting B-word… Unfortunately I didn't manage to get this done on the 14th as I fall asleep midway writing this. I had been working OT this week. ;-;


	7. Betrayal

**Words: **910

**A/N:** Tsundere!shoujo!Conan warning. *face-palm*

* * *

**I can't take…**

**Chapter 7: Betrayal**

Edogawa Conan had been feeling unsettled ever since his 'escape' from Shibuya an hour ago. He was mindlessly wandering around Shibuya's shopping district (it had nothing to do with Ai's nagging about the importance of getting a _proper_ Valentine's Day gift for a certain kind-hearted _thief_), and to his surprise, he coincidentally bumped into Kaitou KID– or who he thought was Kaitou KID anyway. If there is yet _another_ Kudou Shinichi clone in Japan other than KID (and that Kendo user Hattori mentioned) he'd really need to tear his family tree apart to investigate.

Conan thought he was lucky to have this great opportunity for gaining more information on KID (no, it had _nothing _to do with being curious about what KID might've liked), so he decided to tail the magician. When he got closer though, he noticed the magician wasn't alone – in fact, he was accompanied by a teenage girl who oddly reminded him of a messy-hair-version of Ran. The street was overcrowded and the surrounding noises were too deafening for him to eavesdrop on their conversation, but judging from the way they interacted, they seemed to be enjoying each other's presence.

He didn't want to admit it, but when he saw KID hug the girl, his mind was overwhelmed by a strong sense of jealousy and perhaps… _betrayal_? The next thing he knew, he had already boarded the train to Beika. And now he was currently burying himself under the entire collection of_ Sherlock Holmes_ in the Kudou's library.

The sounds of tiny footsteps had hit his ears. It was obvious the approaching person was the shrunken scientist who had been "offering sound advices as an older sister" (her words, not his) the past month. He knew that she was just trying to help and she probably felt responsible for what she did (he never blamed her, though), but he just needed to be left alone now.

"Nice book castle you have made here. But I'm not sure if Doyle would appreciate it." Said Ai as she plucked the novel away from his face.

"Go away Haibara. And give that back."

"Before that, could you explain why this was sitting in the dust bin over there?" Ai held up a small bag of four-leaf clover shaped cookies that he made during cooking class that morning. He had no idea how Ai managed to talk him into making cookies for a certain stupid thief when Kobayashi-sensei announced that the theme of the day was Valentine. Anyhow, it's not like the cookies have any use anymore.

"It was sitting _exactly_ at where it should be until you picked it up." Knowing that Ai wouldn't buy it, he proceeded to bury his face under a different novel.

Ai twitched at Conan's childish response and plucked the novel away again. "Really? What's with that sour face? It's either you be honest now, or be prepared for an extra dose of laxative with the next cup of coffee you could get hold of, and I_ mean_ it."

"Geez, why are you so nosy lately?"

"Because you've been acting like an immature brat and it's irritating. You're worrying Hakase and the kids. Now answer my question."

Conan growled but decided to give in. There was no point arguing with a determined and authoritative Ai. "I saw him today. With another girl."

Ai raised an eyebrow at the implication of his tone. "So you thought they were on a date, you got_ jealous_, and you ran home?"

"…who the hell said anything about getting jealous?" He couldn't help but winced at her words. The girl was annoyingly observant as usual.

She narrowed her eyes as if she thought it was deadly obvious. "Whatever. Anyhow, she could simply be a friend, right? Or it could be a similar stunt to the one I pulled?"

"I'm pretty sure he didn't know that I was there, so there was no reason for him to pull anything like that." The bespectacled boy took his glasses off as he sighed and flopped back on the couch he was occupying. "Now if you could excuse me, I would like to spend some quality time with Holmes."

"But the heist is gonna start in a few hours, aren't you going?"

"No. Why should I?"

"Well, if I were you, I'd go and get a definitive answer. You know, why he _kissed_ you and what not."

He could hear Ai snicker as his face flushed into bright red and he nearly fall off the couch. "WHO SAID ANYTHIN–"

Ai pressed her palm right at his mouth to stop him from blurting anymore nonsense. "Save it. Stop being indecisive, face this dilemma like a man and make Holmes proud. If KID was really just messing around with you, then go get your revenge and kick his rear. I'm sure Nakamori-keibu'd appreciate it too." Her expression softened as she released her hand from his face and bent down to pick up the scattering books. "But if he wasn't… Anyhow, I don't want to see you dwell on this matter anymore. I won't tag along, so promise me you'd get it resolved tonight, okay?" Without another word, Ai put the novels away and left.

Conan blinked as the girl disappeared from the library. It seemed there was something else she was trying to say but didn't. She was right though – his mind had been occupied by this for way too long already. It's about time to wrap it up. He knew that sour feeling very well and there was no point lying to himself – it felt just like whenever he saw Ran with another guy back when he still loved her. If KID was truly just messing around with him, he'd make sure that the damnable thief would get a piece of his mind. With that thought in mind, Conan proceeded to plot for strategies to ambush KID tonight, and his first stop is gonna be at Hakase's lab.

_TBC._

* * *

**Afterword: ** Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reeiewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/ I reply to all reviews except guest reviews (because I can't PM you ;A;) so if you want a respond from me, please leave a signed review! x3

The word count for chapter 6 and 7 were intentionally 968 and 910~ ;D

I'm not sure if cookies made by Conan would be edible, but since everyone made cookies in class together so I guess it should be okay? *gets bricked* And I have no idea if they actually have cooking class in Japanese elementary schools, but for the purpose of this fic, let's assume they do, lol.


	8. Battlefield

**Words: **1412

**A/N:** Here I present Conan the _barbarian_! XD (wait wut)

* * *

**I can't take…**

**Chapter 8: Battlefield**

_Did I get tagged by a death flag or something?_

If anyone was in Kaitou KID's shoes right now, they'd probably be wondering about the same thing. The magician thief wasn't sure what was going on with the shrunken detective, but the kid was _loaded_ tonight. Not in the monetary sense, but in the _armed_ sense. Kaito had already dodged_ seven _of those cannon-ball-like soccer balls, and was grazed by one that immediately implanted a huge _painful _bruise on his thigh (fortunately his femur wasn't _fractured_). Not only that, Tantei-kun also tried to use a retractable _taser_ at him (was it custom made by that chubby inventor?), which he immediately destroyed with his card gun when it failed to retract properly. The only reason why Tantei-kun didn't try darting him was because he wracked his tranquilizer watch earlier that evening by spilling juice on it while disguised as a waitress, and he was extremely glad that he took the precaution to do so.

The police and the party guests were all cowering and taking shelter at different corners of the banquet hall. Nakamori-keibu, Hakuba Saguru, and the task force had long given up on trying to stop the _child_ from _assaulting_ him (there're way too many levels of _wrongs_ with this statement). Judging from the dents on the wall, the cracks on the floor, and the countless _shattered_ furniture, Kaito couldn't really blame them – if he was them he'd want to flee from this battlefield as well. Screw that, he had been trying to flee from the dangerous and persistent midget ever since he got his hand on the 12-carat pink diamond ring _ten_ _minutes_ ago. He was already feeling awfully drained yet the detective didn't look like he plans to halt his assault anytime soon. In fact, he swore he could see golden _sparking _aura surrounding the raging detective and he wouldn't be surprised if the not-child blasts an energy wave out of his palms the next second…

What caused this heightened aggressiveness and determination to catch him? Kaito wondered. Was it because Tantei-kun was pissed off and angry about the kiss? If that's the case, it would make his self-imposed task to steal Tantei-kun away a lot more difficult. Speaking of which, where's that cherry brown haired girl? Did she have the foresight to hide from the detective today? To be honest, he was only half expecting Tantei-kun to show up here… Seeing how it's Valentine's Day, he thought the mini-detective would've gone on a date with his girlfriend, but then again, that bastard Hakuba _ditched_ Aoko to come to _his_ heist as well. He supposed detectives were all the same in a sense – perhaps they couldn't resist the temptation of catching an internationally-wanted infamous phantom thief?

Kaito's mind was brought back to the present reality when another soccer ball flew by and knocked his top hat off, and its occupant – a cute little dove that just survived this traumatic event – immediately escaped to cower on the chandelier that's dangling from the ceiling. Cold sweats ran down the side of Kaito's cheek as he focused on the shrunken detective, who was adjusting his power shoes and preparing for another blast. He needed to figure out something quick… it's probably time to retreat. As much as he wanted to figure out what was on Tantei-kun's mind, this is not an appropriate time, especially when the subject looked like he'd have murdered him right there if it wasn't illegal to do so.

Noticing that he was merely ten feet from an air vent, Kaito immediately switched off all lights in the entire hall with his tapped controller, and released several tear gas bombs to aid his escape. Without delay, he jumped into the air vent and escaped from the heist site as the occupants of the room continued to cough and hack. What he didn't notice though, was a tiny tracking device that had latched itself onto his mantle before his disappearance.

* * *

The phantom thief discreetly climbed out of the air vent on the rooftop after he made sure that no one was around. Man, that was a really _close_ call… did he do something that landed himself onto Lady Luck's naughty list? Kaito absently rubbed the bruise on his thigh as his other hand raised the pink diamond ring towards the moonlight habitually to perform the Pandora-check. The diamond did not make any notable changes after a few seconds.

"Damn, it's a miss again…" Muttered Kaito as he lowered his hand and released a disappointed sigh.

"Not what you were looking for?"

Suddenly startled by the voice behind him, Kaito instantly turned around – except he was simultaneously yanked by some sort of rope that wrapped itself around his arms and thorax. Before he could react, his back had forcefully slammed against the wall by the rooftop entrance, and the ring had been dropped in the process. While wincing in pain, Kaito cracked one eye open and found himself tied down tightly to the water pipes next to the wall by an elastic-looking black rope.

In front of him, the shrunken detective had kneeled down to pick up the pink diamond ring, tossed it up lightly and recaptured it into his palm in a possessive manner. His expression was topped with a confident beam to it. "Alright! I _caught_ a Kaitou KID!"

Kaito sweat-dropped at the random reference. "Really? I don't see a Pokéball anywhere."

"You wanted to be inside one? I'm sure Agasa-hakase could manage something," deadpanned Conan.

"No thanks. I was just kidding," said Kaito as he eyed the detective uneasily, trying to decipher what his next move would be. It seemed the table had turned – he was hoping to capture and steal Tantei-kun tonight, _not _the other way around! Heck, he never even anticipated to be _physically captured_ by the detective! Things actually weren't looking too good for him; the rope – or strap? – around him was so tight that the circulation to his arms was being cut off. There weren't any picking tools within his hands' reach at the moment; and he was certain that if he made any explicit motions to grab said tools from his other pockets, the detective would notice right away.

As if sensing Kaito's anxiousness, Conan grinned deviously and walked over to the end of the 'strap' to elaborate. "I asked Hakase to modify this earlier; this suspender was actually meant to lift heavy objects, but since it was extremely elastic, I figured he could probably tweak it so that it could wrap itself around its target. It worked quite well in my opinion; after all, it caught the most elusive thief of the century."

"Well, thank you for your _complement_. So…" ignoring the chill running down his spine in favour of maintaining his poker face, Kaito attempted to stall for time while calculating for an escape route. "Now that you have said thief captured, what's the next item on your checklist?"

"Great question," smirked Conan as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I shall return this ring to Nakamori-keibu before his blood pressure reaches a critically high level. Don't you dare to run before I'm back." Without another word, the detective turned around and headed down the stairwell, leaving the dumbfounded phantom thief in the cold.

_Really?_ Did he _honestly_ expect me to _wait _here? That thought immediately crossed Kaito's mind the second the rooftop door slammed shut. Needless to say, Kaito was completely confused by the mini-detective's actions. Who'd leave their target alone like that, especially when said target excelled in escaping the most difficult traps in the world?! The phantom thief had no idea what tricks the detective had up his sleeves, but well, he knew he was curious and he wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight if he didn't get it all figured out right now, so as stupid as it might have sounded, he decided to stay and wait for the detective's return. A little voice in the back of his mind suggested that Tantei-kun could inflict more damages when he comes back, but it was promptly ignored. After all, he had already wasted so much time sulking over the fact that Tantei-kun already had a girlfriend (he mentally kicked himself for reminding himself this harsh fact), there isn't anything to lose just to wait a little while, right?

He'd stay in this battlefield until the very end, no matter how bitter it'd be.

_TBC._

* * *

**Afterword: **Thanks for reading! As usual, reviews are much appreciated, so please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/ I reply to all reviews except guest reviews (because I can't PM you ;A;) so please leave a signed review if you could x3

I enjoyed writing this chapter so much, lol. The next one _should_ be the grand finale! I'm gonna miss this ;A; Conan was totally a _Do-S_ (sadist) in this chapter… XD Sorry about the super random _Dragon Ball_ and _Pokémon_ reference. I have been feeling nostalgic lately. X333


	9. Be Mine (end)

**Words: **1872

**A/N:** Happy White Day! I'm so glad I managed to finish this story on White Day! \o/ Oh my gosh, I'm so sleepy now and work is in less than 4 hours… Good night! *drops dead*

* * *

**I can't take…**

**Final Chapter: Be Mine**

_Okay, I got him captured, now what?_

After witnessing the paled expression on the captured Kaitou KID's face, Edogawa Conan pretty much already had most of his anger and frustration vented. That was sorta _fun_ but… he wasn't sure if he could keep the bluff up any longer. And that's why he was currently walking down the stairs away from the rooftop to deliver the pink diamond ring back to Nakamori-keibu while cooling his mind off.

He didn't realize that he totally went overboard against KID until he saw the damages in the banquet hall and the horrified expressions on everyone's faces. Nakamori-keibu simply received the diamond ring from him (it was promptly placed in an evidence bag), gave him a pat on the head, and took off with the rest of the task force. On the other hand, the organizer of the banquet seemed uncertain about whether she should contact Conan's guardians regarding cost of repair, or pretend that nothing happened and hide from the frightening child. Conan supposed that no amount of consolation could relieve the tension of the crowd, and it's not like he felt like explaining how he managed to _dent_ the concrete wall anyway, so he might as well leave before he draws anymore attention.

Thinking of returning to the rooftop to collect his suspender and see if KID left any evidences behind (he wasn't expecting any), he was surprised to find that KID was actually still strapped down and sitting at the same spot with similar posture. Seriously, the suspender can't be _that_ hard to pick apart, right?! He'd expected more from KID! Approaching with caution, Conan figured that he might as well try asking the questions that had been bothering him all day. Or else the creepy scientist at home would probably chew him out over it if he didn't.

"…why are you still here?" Stuffing his hands into his pockets, the mini detective took a defensive stance in front of the phantom thief, while facing him eye to eye.

"I simply took your dare to not run. So, do I get a prize?" responded KID with his usual confident sneer.

This was getting really _awkward_, Conan's mind grumbled. It'd probably be better to just ask the questions quickly and get it over with, instead of going around in circles here. Or else he wouldn't get anything out of this conversation.

"…whydidyoudo_that_?" The bespectacled detective muttered as he shifted his line of sight away from the phantom thief in annoyance. Thinking about it just made his head go haywire…

Puzzled, the monocled magician blinked his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Tantei-kun."

Conan bit his lips as he felt more and more restless. He could not get _deflated_ now! Taking a deep breath and getting ready to raise his voice, he asserted, "I saw _you _at Shibuya today with your _girlfriend_! Why did you _kiss _me then?!"

KID stared at him blankly, seemingly confused, while bringing his hand to his chin in a contemplated manner for a brief moment. "Meitantei…"

"What?"

The white-clad thief released a quiet chuckle. "Were you jealous?"

* * *

Kaito braced himself mentally as the door to the rooftop door opened again, revealing the mini detective. Completely different from the fierce demeanor earlier, the detective was all quiet now. Could it be the calm before the storm?

"…why are you still here?" demanded the detective.

What kind of question was _that_?! Wasn't he the one who told him to stay? "I simply took your dare to not run. So, do I get a prize?" Kaito retorted as he flashed his usual razor sharp smirk. No matter what game Tantei-kun was playing now, he'd play along.

The detective paused before he murmured something. "…do_that_?"

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Tantei-kun." Kaito couldn't help but feel more and more baffled by the detective's changing behaviour. And he could tell that Tantei-kun was getting more and more ticked off by his response as well.

Conan took a deep breath before he spoke again with an accusing tone. "I saw _you _at Shibuya today with your _girlfriend_! Why did you _kiss _me then?!"

What _girlfriend_?! Kaito blinked and pondered. Wasn't _Tantei-kun_ the one with a _girlfriend?!_ Trying to recall the events that occurred that afternoon and mentally piecing the whole puzzle from the past two months together, it suddenly clicked in his mind. Don't tell him that the detective was… "Meitantei…"

"What?"

Kaito almost wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming as he giggled. "Were you _jealous_?"

The way Tantei-kun's face turned bright red like a siren light pretty much confirmed his suspicion. Waving his arms wildly in mortification, Conan exclaimed, "NO! WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT BEING-"

Taking his chance at the detective's distractedness, Kaito caught the boy's arms and yanked him towards himself as he sealed his agitated scream with his own lips. He could tell that Tantei-kun immediately froze in his clutch but didn't display any signs of resistance. Kaito could feel nothing but giddiness overwhelming him as he pulled the detective closer. _Tantei-kun_ was jealous of Aoko. He didn't even know that he was there… but it didn't matter as he felt so _overjoyed_ right now that he might even pass out. Or was that from kissing Tantei-kun for too long that he was starting to run out of air?

Kaito released the detective with a satisfied sigh – he wasn't even gonna bother to save his poker face that was cracking from his widening grin. Tantei-kun looked flustered but it didn't seem like he was going to protest.

"Meitantei, I don't have a girlfriend. She was just my childhood friend."

"Liar," deadpanned Conan.

Rather shocked by the accusation, Kaito instinctively tightened his hold on the child-sized detective. "No! It's true! Please believe me!"

Instead of replying, Conan glared at his waist. Kaito followed his gaze and found that the detective was giving the broken suspender that's dangling from his waist a dirty look. He couldn't help but snorted. "Hey, can't blame me on that one. It was cutting my arms' circulation off, and just because I stayed didn't mean that I'd wait without doing anything!"

"Touché."

"Nee, Meitantei," said Kaito as he tried to regain the detective's full attention and looked right into his sapphire blue eyes. "I'm feeling like the happiest idiot in the world right now. May I kiss you again?"

The detective just looked too adorable with the new shade of rosy red that just spread itself across his cheeks. Taking his slight nod and closed eyes as a yes, Kaito slowly brought their lips together–

–except they were interrupted by the sound of a phone camera's click.

Both detective and thief duo snapped their heads towards the source of the click, and found one cherry brown haired girl standing in front of them, aiming her cell phone at the duo. "Go on, don't mind me," hummed the girl as she snickered.

"Haibara! What're you doing here?" Without further ado, Conan wrestled himself out of Kaito's grasp and stormed towards the slightly taller girl.

"Making a _documentary_," she responded as if stating the obvious.

"Why?!"

"Why _not_?"

Conan huffed and right away made a failed attempt to seize the girl's cell phone. Ai immediately turned to make a run from the raging midget detective, except she was stopped in her track by Kaito, who snatched her phone right out of her hands. Startled, Ai tried to make a grab for it but couldn't due to their undeniable height difference.

"Give me the phone! Let me delete it!" The detective demanded as he held his palm out.

Kaito gave the image on the screen some thought, before he quickly pressed a few buttons and returned the phone to Ai with a bow. "I just texted it to myself. Thank you for the wonderful photo, my lady. Please keep my number as a token of appreciation."

Ai did a double take at the phone in her palm before she bent over and blasted out in laughter. Conan on the other hand, sighed in exasperation as he facepalm-ed. "_Great_, my friend and KID are ganging up on me together."

Kaito smiled warmly as he kneeled down and took Conan's right hand in a passionate manner. "I was going to give you the pink diamond ring but since you returned it already, I guess we'll have to improvise," said Kaito as he adeptly tied a thornless red rose around Conan's right wrist. "Meitantei, will you be mine and _only_ mine?"

The detective blushed again for the third time of the night while eyeing the rose around his wrist. "Even if you give me that ring, I'd have to return it eventually. Same goes for this rose – it'd wither eventually…"

"Y-You're right," stuttered the magician nervously as he scratched his head vigorously in attempt to come up with alternate solution but to no avail. "I-I'll get you something tomorrow!"

"How about…" Before Kaito knew it, his head was jerked forward as Conan pulled his tie and confiscated his monocle. The mini-detective brought the monocle to his lips in a compassionate manner. "May I be the one and _only_ one to ever unmask Kaitou KID?"

Kaito blinked briefly as a smile slowly crept across his face. Without further delay, he dragged the shrunken detective into a bone-crushing hug as the detective yelped. "Of course!"

"Sorry to interrupt here…"

The detective and magician duo instantly turned to face the neglected shrunken scientist who just cleared her throat to get their attention. Ai chuckled and wrapped the light-green clover patterned scarf around Conan's neck. She quickly pulled a bag of clover-shape cookies out of her purse and placed it on his hands. "I mainly came to deliver this. My job is done here. Enjoy yourselves for the night." Without another word, she turned and left via the rooftop door to give the two lovebirds their privacy.

"Did you make them?" At the sound of a door slam, Kaito stared at the bag of cookies with sparkles in his eyes.

"Yeah, we had cooking class this morning… Well, it made a trip to the dustbin earlier but they're probably still edible." In a slightly embarrassed manner, the detective handed the bag of cookies to the magician, who promptly opened the packaging and ate a cookie.

"It's good! Were you thinking about me when you made them?" Kaito giggled as a deep blush took over Conan's cheeks for the fourth time of the night. Having the rest of the cookies put away and his hang-glider ready to go, Kaito picked up the child-sized detective who squeaked at the sudden motion. "This time, I'm definitely not letting go of my target. After all, I couldn't take my eyes off you anymore."

"Until the end of the world, right?" Conan smiled affectionately as he grasped the scarf around his neck.

"Even _after _the end of the world!" Kaito asserted as he placed a light chaste kiss on the lips of his 'target', before letting the wind carry the both of them off. He silently made a vow to the beloved one in his arm, that he'd never let anything separate them, even if it was _death_ itself.

_End._

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**Afterword: ** Thanks for reading to the not-so-bitter end! As usual, reviews are _very_ much appreciated, so please review and tell me your thoughts! Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed, as well as everyone who put me on their author fav/alert list! \^q^/ I reply to all reviews except guest reviews (because I can't PM you ;A;) so please leave a signed review if you could x3

GAH, this chapter was incredibly hard to write. Go reread _in little time_ if you forgot about that light-green scarf and end-of-the-world reference. =P Conan completely evolved into a Tsundere in this fic and I have no idea how that happened. *gets shot*

There is a brief little omake for this fic. It's called _Heart Beat _and it was uploaded under _Spiral _drabble #5 (yes, it was submitted _before_ I started writing _I can't take…_) It's M-rated and has a bit of KID x Conan lime, so don't read if you don't like that. XD;;

Again, thank you for reading and please tell me your thoughts on this! X3 See you in the next story (if I ever write another story that is)! Remember reviews fuel and inspire fanfic writers!

PS. Here is the reason why I chose to start every chapter with a "B". It's based from a shoujo manga called "B-wanted" that I liked when I was a kid. Anyone ever heard of it? In the end of that manga, it says B represents a heart (or somewhere along that line). So if you write a B in a cute squiggly diagonal manner it actually looks like a heart XD; Kinda hard to explain with words, though. But I thought it's fitting to use that concept for this _fluffy and cheesy_ (lol) fic, and well, Kaitou 1412 became Kaitou KID. because 1412 was written in a messy manner too, so, yeah XD;


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